University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Edged by Iowa for Big Ten Title
5/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
The Hawkeyes’ relay contained four All-Americans. The Gophers were running three sophomores (John Holton, Kevin Bradley and Harun Abda) and a redshirt freshman (Jacob Capek). In the end, Iowa finished second in the race (3:06.70), the Gophers fourth (3.08.12). Iowa won its first Big Ten team title since 1967.
Iowa finished with 125.5 points to Minnesota’s 123. The Hawkeyes snapped the Gophers streak of five straight Big Ten indoor/outdoor team titles.
“Iowa is a team that has been building and pointing to having the Big Ten meet at home for some time,” said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia. “They put together a great final day. Our team competed to the end and we are very proud of them. It was a close, very close finish.”
Iowa won three events late – the 200 meters, the triple jump and the javelin – to take its first lead in the meet. Though Hawkeyes won the triple jump and javelin, the Gophers scored two athletes in each event to keep it close. Both Gophers landed career bests in the triple jump as Oladipo Fagbemi finished fifth with a leap of 51-2 3/4 (fourth in Gopher history) and Addison Demer sixth with an effort of 50-1 3/4 (10th in school history). Javelin throwers Paul Hoplin finished seventh (193-4) and Jake Malm eighth (189-6).
Minnesota regained the lead when Hassan Mead, who won the 10,000 meters, placed third in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:03.21 to set up the dramatic final relay.
The Gophers scored three athletes in the 400 and 800-meter races. Abda clocked a personal best and the eighth-fast time in Gopher history of 47.01 seconds in placing third in the 400 meters. Holton added a sixth-place showing in 47.86, while Bradley was seventh in 48.06.
Nick Hutton finished third in the 800 meters with a career-best time of 1:48.73, the sixth-fastest time on the Gophers’ top-10 list. David Pachuta contributed a fifth-place finish in 1:49.10 and Max Hanson placed eighth in 1:49.89.
Sean King added his name to the list of Gophers running career times. King finished seventh in 10.43 seconds, the No. 6 time in Gopher history.
Other Gophers scoring for the Gophers were Paul Hilsen, who finished seventh in the 1,500 meters (3:51.99); Sean Duling, who was eighth in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.37); Trey Davis, who was seventh in the shot put (56-2 1/2); and Aaron Studt, who finished eighth in the shot put (56-1).
Completing the scoring was the Gophers’ 4x100-meter relay of Ryan Todhunter, King, Cameron Boy and Fagbemi, which place sixth in a time of 41.16 seconds.
The Gophers now turn their attention to the NCAA West Preliminary Meet. Minnesota is expected to have over 20 athletes at the meet, which is May 26-28, in Eugene, Ore.
Players Mentioned
